Typical current hockey stick blades or replacement blades are generally made of a core material reinforced with one or more layers of synthetic material, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber or graphite. Traditionally, the core of the blade has been made of natural materials, such as wood or a wood laminate. Traditional wood constructions, however, are expensive to manufacture due to the cost of wood and the manufacturing processes employed. Further, wood sticks and blades are relatively heavy and have somewhat limited durability. Finally, due to variabilities relating to wood construction and manufacturing techniques, wood sticks are difficult to manufacture with consistent tolerances, and even the same model and brand of sticks and blades may have differences in terms of mechanical properties, such as stiffness and curvature.
Recently, in an attempt to decrease the weight of the stick and blade, and to improve upon the durability and mechanical properties associated with the performance of the stick or blade, alternative core materials, such as synthetic materials reinforced with layers of fiber material, have been utilized. The fiber layers are usually made of woven filament fibers, typically soaked in a resin and glued to the surfaces of the core of the blade. Expandable fiber braids have also been used for covering the core of the blade. These composite sticks and blades have proven to have improved durability versus traditional wooden sticks and blades and have many of the mechanical attributes desired by hockey players. Further, these composite sticks and blades have less variability in terms of tolerances related to curvature and stiffness. Nevertheless, these sticks and blades still have disadvantages. Accordingly, there is a demand for a composite blade having still further improved features.